“Emily, stop poking me in the eye.”
Alex sat in her bathroom. Emily had brought a chair for her to sit near the sink. She had also insisted on doing her cousin’s makeup for tonight.
Alex didn’t understand what the fuss was all about. She had gone to meet her parents several times already. What difference did it make if she had more makeup on than not?
“I will if you stop being such a baby” Emily scoffed playfully, “Based on what I remember, we can’t risk anyone recognizing you in this outfit.”
Alex huffed with her eyes closed. The brush left her left eyelid for a split second before Emily switched to her right one.
“I could wear contacts and glasses?” She suggested.
“Yeah, because it’s totally logical to wear both of them.”
“Meanie” Alex pouted.
“Open your eyes.”
She followed Emily’s instruction. She watched her cousin grab an eyeliner from the makeup bag Emily brought with her.
“Now, look up.”
Emily started with her inner waterline. She dragged it across and over her eyelash line until she reached the outer end. Then, she made the outer half of the line thicker, drooping the tip.
She did the same thing to Alex’s other eye.
All Alex did was try her best not to cry. Her other eye was more sensitive. Emily had just pressed the liner on her inner tear duct and her tears already threatened to spill out.
Her cousin had to pause in between so her watery eye wouldn’t ruin the eyeliner before it could dry.
Emily took a step back and assessed her work. She smiled in satisfaction.
“That doesn’t look like a good sign.”
“Oh, hush” she scolded Alex, “You look great. We only have the lips to worry about.”
Emily dropped the eyeline in her bag and took out a lipstick that was two shades darker than Alex’s normal color. She lightly tapped it onto her cousin’s lips, using a fingertip to blend any sparse areas.
Next, she took a concealer and lined the corners of Alex’s lips. This made the center of her lips fuller.
The smile of her face turned mischievous. If Logan didn’t get the urge to kiss those pouty lips, she didn’t know what would.
Emily brushed her hands togethers and declared, “Done. You’re all set. Go back in your room and change while I do my makeup.”
Alex stood up and tried to peek in the mirror but Emily covered her eyes.
“Uh-uh, you can’t see my masterpiece until you wear your dress.”
“I have a mirror in my room you know” Alex replied, pulling Emily’s hand off her face.
“Oh, don’t break my trust in you, couz. You know better than that.”
Alex merely chuckled and went to her closet. Emily had picked her dress for today. It hung on the closet door in it’s matte fabric and miniscule glitters.
The cloth had a bluish green color like the sea. It had a round neckline and no sleeves. It didn’t have a back either, just a criss-crossed fabric. The bodice had been stitched to slim a person’s waist. It almost felt like a corset, just not as tight.
The skirt flared into an a-line cut that reached just below Alex’s knees. The back of it was made longer to give it a concave effect.
Alex paired the dress with silver one-inch heels. Emily had wanted something higher but Alex had none of her complaints. Her cousin wasn’t the one who got to walk in them. She did and what she thought mattered more than Emily’s.
The doorbell echoed throughout the house.
“Alex? Could you get that for me?” Her aunt shouted.
“Be right down!” Alex yelled back. With one last brush over her skirt, she left her room and headed downstairs.
===
Logan Parker shuffled his feet while he waited outside the front door. He almost felt like Prom had come early this school year. He didn’t know how to dress in order to impress Alex’s parents. He went with the basic black and white tux. The cut only had one button that reached just above his waist.
For the sake of finesse, he had buttoned it. He also added a black bow tie around underneath his collar. He also shined his black leather shoes earlier. With his hair gelled into place, nothing in his outfit looked out of place.
A soft purr echoed in the night.
He looked down. Maylin had crawled in between his legs and had rubbed her head against his ankles.
Logan bent down to pick her up, “Hello, Maylin. Long time, no see.”
The cat purred louder under his touch. Logan cradled her in his arms like a baby. In response, Maylin rubbed her nose on his blazer.
Well, she seemed to approve of his cologne.
Soon, the front door opened and the sight of a smiling Lilly greeted him.
“My, my, my, you look quite charming, Logan. What’s the occasion?” She joked.
Logan chuckled, taking a step inside, “Apparently I have a job interview today. Just wanted to look as impressive as I sound.”
“Well, I think you’re doing just fine.”
“So you can actually look like you just haven’t rolled out of bed, huh?” A new voice cut in.
Logan opened his mouth, a retort ready to fire out of his lips. Whatever it was, it died as soon as it came and was replaced by,
“Holy s***.”
Alex had about two steps left before she reached the floor when her aunt came out of nowhere to answer the door.
If her aunt could open the door, why did she call Alex then?
A sense of deja vu filled Alex’s mind. This scene felt quite familiar. The photo frame near the front door helped remind her about it. She couldn’t help but smile amusedly.
Logan wanted to see a doctor. His heart seemed to have stopped. Alex’s golden brown hair framed her face in big waves. They looked full of life. Her dress also curved around her body in the right places.
It had been awhile since he first saw her in a dress. His memory did him zero justice to how beautiful she looked that time.
Lilly pressed her lips together and closed the front door. No doubt it had been Emily’s doing for Alex’s dress to match Logan’s eyes.
